


Gym

by Ankh



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-02 16:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ankh/pseuds/Ankh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel needs to attend physical training.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gym

Jack O’Neill made his way through the corridors of the SGC with the ease of a man familiar with its endless gray walls and color-coded floors. Now and then he would stop briefly to direct a lost civilian scientist or wandering airman, before continuing on his way, his air purposeful. There was a swagger in his walk and a glint in his eye. The Air Force had been his life for two decades. He was a seasoned special ops officer with years of dangerous top secret operations under his belt. You could drop him down anywhere, with or without weapons, with absolute certainty that he would handle whatever was thrown at him and would succeed his objective. Now? He was a man with a mission. Sergeant Peterson had informed him Daniel Jackson had been a no-show yesterday. It was Jack’s intention to make sure Daniel would make it for today’s 1330 session.

Jack didn’t have any worries about the physical part of Daniel’s training. Daniel was surprisingly fit – life on Abydos must have been tougher than Jack had thought. While Daniel had been a teacher to many of the people, in other ways he had also been a pupil. Apparently, Daniel had kept and cared for whatever-the-hell-those-hairy-yak-things-were-called. Which, come to think of it, explained why the guy had had a distinct aroma about him, not noticeable until they had left Abydos and got back to Earth. It had taken a shower on the base and another shower at Jack's place before he smelled respectable – and Jack could swear there was still a trace of the smell lingering in his bathroom. The green overall Daniel had worn before they left the base – a guy in robes not being the usual sort of visitor that dropped by Jack’s house – had been disposed of on the grounds that nothing short of dynamite would remove that odor.

Daniel was as stubborn but not quite as 'soft' as Jack had remembered. Abydos must have toughened him up in more ways than one. Clearly he'd had the respect of the Abydonians. Still, he'd never be military – obedience was something he suspected Daniel Jackson might have problems with. There was more to him than Jack's memory of a geeky scientist with allergies and an insatiable curiosity. Daniel might just make the grade that would mean him becoming a permanent member of SG1. In some ways it wasn't exactly a thrilling thought – they already had one damn scientist on the team. That said, Abydos had shown just how resourceful and useful Daniel could be. He just hoped they found Skaara and Sha're soon, and not just for their sakes. Daniel had a way of getting under his skin. Too impulsive, too curious, and too inclined to question orders – not exactly useful qualities when you were in the middle of a fire fight – but strangely appealing all the same. Perhaps it was the rebel inside Jack to whom Daniel appealed. Jack wondered how much of the man's original personality would be left after the military had finished with him, and the thought of Daniel losing his essential…Danielness bothered Jack a lot more than it should. If – when – Sha're was reunited with her husband, she'd find him very different. Though Sha're would probably be pretty screwed up too. He wondered if that thought had occurred to Daniel. It had to Jack – every time he remembered Skaara firing at him. And Daniel had asked for that, practically begged for them to stick one of those snakes in his head. 

Jesus. Definitely a loose cannon. 

Daniel needed someone like Jack if he was ever going to survive. Daniel was also going to need training. Which was where Sergeant Peterson came in. While Jack suspected he'd never break the archaeologist in – and he wasn't so sure he wanted to – he did have to ensure Daniel was capable of being more of a help than a hindrance during missions. They couldn't watch his back 24/7. Which was why 1300 hours found Jack coming to a halt outside Daniel's office.

Daniel had been here a couple of weeks and already the office was overflowing with…stuff. The man himself was hunched over three open books, eyes flicking from one page of a book to a different section of text in another, muttering to himself. 

"Hey, Daniel."

Daniel looked up, eyes somewhat vacant, his thoughts clearly a million miles away. "Oh, Jack. Hi."

"What are you doing?" Ah, ah, ah! Must not get distracted! Mission at hand!

"Research. Refreshing my memory. I figured that if Ra and Apophis are out there then there's no telling what other 'gods' there are. If even a fraction of the stories from Egypt have some basis in reality, we'll be facing an incredible force – as well as some pretty strange beings."

"Putting snakes in people's heads isn't strange enough?" Jack couldn’t resist asking.

"Well, incestuous marriage, cutting off of body parts and regeneration seem to be among their most popular pastimes."

Jack grimaced. "Nice folks. As fascinating as this must be, I'm afraid you'll have to put it on hold. You have an appointment with Sergeant Peterson."

"I do?"

"If you're planning on staying on SG1 you do." Jack was quite proud of the way his voice remained warm yet held a definite warning note.

Daniel's nose wrinkled. He looked less than thrilled and the warning note seemed to have passed him by. "This appointment would consist of firing of weapons, bruising and sweating – lots of sweating?"

"That's right. Good, clean, healthy fun." Jack slapped his hands together and rubbed them briskly, his expression and voice exuding an exaggerated gleeful anticipation, and giving the strong impression that Daniel was the luckiest guy ever to be given such a gift. Well, his patented warning note hadn’t been a stunning success, so whatever worked. "You'll love it!"

Daniel eyed Jack warily and picked up the heaviest book, hugging it to his chest like a shield. "I doubt that. Didn’t we do this two days ago? Every time you walk in here it's to drag me off to the gym. I'll wind up like Pavlov's dogs. I'll hear the word gym, think of you, and drop down and give fifty."

Jack thought about that and smirked at the resulting images.

Daniel reached for a second book to strengthen his shield. "Look, I'm a civilian, an academic. Is this really necessary?"

"Daniel, I think you know the answer to that."

"Yes – you're a sadist."

O'Neill gave a snort of amusement. "There is that." He gave his most winning smile.

"Okay, okay. I guess it is important I shouldn't be a liability."

"And keeping you from getting shot is a small consideration," Jack added.

"Oh, I've died once already. It's no big deal."

O'Neill grinned at that. "Has anyone actually swallowed that line?"

Daniel tried to keep a straight face but a smile fought free – a real honest to god smile. It was only then Jack realized he hadn't seen real open amusement on Daniel's face since they had got back from Abydos.

"Well, Lieutenant Bishop for one was very impressed."

Aware of Ruth Bishop's assessment of the charms of Doctor Jackson, O'Neill could hazard a guess as to exactly what about Daniel had dazzled the lieutenant, but restrained the impulse to enlighten his friend – some things you didn't tell a man who had just had his wife kidnapped. Actually, some things you just didn’t tell Daniel, period. He suspected he’d look at him as though Jack was nuts.

"Maybe. But I'd rather you didn't do it again." His mouth wanted to say more but his brain kicked in. Colonels in the USAF did not get mushy. "Hey, it would look bad on my record. Now get yourself over to the gym and be out of those clothes and in your gym stuff within the next fifteen minutes."

Daniel gave the colonel a teasing look. "Gym. Hmm. Sounds familiar. From the noun gymnasium. Etymology: Latin. Exercise ground, school, from the Greek gymnasion, from gymnazein to exercise naked, from gymnos naked… Jack, am I expected to take off all my clothes?" 

O'Neill gave a put-upon sigh. "Come on. I'll take you there myself. You'd only get lost on your own anyway. And don’t go telling Bishop about gymnazein."

See. Daniel was looking at him as if he was nuts. Maybe he was. After all, he’d requested Daniel be a member of SG-1.

Oh yeah. Daniel was going to be so much trouble and likely to be a pain in the ass. Jack suspected he might just be worth it.

***

Seven years later…  
Daniel: "Besides, who am I gonna tell? I mean, I don't, uh, I don't remember anybody, right?"  
Jack: "Good one."  
Daniel: "Thanks, Jim."


End file.
